Wuff News

    The Importance of Chewing  Chewing is a natural instinct for all dogs, whether it’s the wolf outside or the dog in your living room. An instinct to chew is often higher in puppies than adult dogs. Whatever the age of your dog chewing is a natural behaviour that should be appropriately channelled rather than punished or discouraged. If your dog treats his chews like a highly prized object, its important to know that if you try to take if off him, you are very likely to get a growl or snarl. As humans we get very upset when dogs growl, but this is a really important element of canine communication - A growl is a clear warning and dogs that growl are far less likely to bite as long as you heed the growl and back off. I always explain to Owners that a chew or toy is the equivalent to a dog of me giving you a diamond ring - If I snatch it back, what are you going to do? You are going to object... loudly! By giving your dog a chew or toy and allowing him to take off to a quiet plac

  The first thing a Behaviourist might ask is about the amount of exercise  your dog gets. What is the importance of walking?   Dogs have a primal need to walk. In the wild, packs of dogs get up in the morning and walk to find food.  Walking fulfils a migration instinct for a dog. Daily walks not only provide structure to your dog's life, but also challenges him physically and mentally.  As a dog walks, he is gathering information about how the territory has changed since the last time he was on that same route.  Sniffing and marking is part of this routine for many dogs, and meets his primal instincts. It allows a dog to  BE  a dog. By sniffing the urine and faeces that other dogs have left behind, your dog gains all sorts of information about the dogs who have travelled this route. This includes the sex, health and age.  Leaving a scent behind is your dog's equivalent of a check in on Facebook! Lack of exercise can cause a build up of physical and mental energy in dogs wh

  DOES YOUR DOG NEVER CALM DOWN  OR SWITCH  OFF? Is your dog always highly charged? Does he or she react to many things by barking, pulling on lead, lunging, growling?  Does he constantly follow you around, unable to settle on his own?  Dogs show aggression  and suspicion  when they are anxious or afraid.  Being in a state of permanent anxiety is not good for your dog's health.  He will be filled with adrenalin  and cortisol and many dogs in this state are unable to switch off and calm themselves down.  Training and socialisation from puppy hood helps most dogs get used to the world that they live in.   Unfortunately, many lockdown puppies and rescue dogs have missed out on this vital stage of development, and many owners are faced with an adolescent or adult dog that barks, snaps, growls and lunges.   Often these dogs are worse when on a lead because they feel restricted. Dogs who are always on edge, can't relax and respond with fear and suspicion  are termed "R eactive&q

  USE "PAWSITIVE" TRAINING TO BRING UP A RELIABLE, CONFIDENT AND WELL CONTROLLED DOG  Recently I had a little rant on facebook about "Trainers" who use force, intimidation, and aversive techniques such as sprays or throwing water at your dog to get it to comply with the training!  As a Behaviourist, I regularly work with dogs who suffer from fear anxiety and aggression which was triggered by out of date training techniques that are nowadays considered abusive. Being endorsed by the Kennel Club, or being advocated and demonstrated by well known TV personalities' is not always a sufficient recommendation. The result of this is a dog who is fearful, often aggressive and poorly controlled. Of course this causes a good deal of stress and conflict within the family home. I have heard trainers telling owners that they should always be physically above their dog, should go through doors first and other general nonsense. Shouting at dogs, dragging them on a lead or using